Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-29
A WOMAN MAYOR.
The First Female i'm This Countr,
Elected to That Office.

Argonia, Kansas, is the only town
in America which ever elected Wom-
an to the office of mayor. She is alone
in q distinction that repre- ents another
step in the steady advance of liberal
ideas regarding woman's work in So
ciety.
Mayor Salter's maiden name was
Susanna Madora Kinsey. She was
born OF parents who where members
OF the Society OF Friends,
on q farm near Lamira, Bel
mont county, Ohio, in the year 1860. In
1872, when she was II years old, she
removed with her parents to farm
twelve miles west OF Topeka, Kansas,
which progressive State has, conse-
quently, more property in her than
any other commonwealth. She was
Il married woman, when about four
years ago she and her husband re-
moved to Argonia. In 1873 and 1879
she attended the Kansas State Indus
trial College, NJ .nhattan, where Louis
A. Salter, son of Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor OF the state, to whom she was
married in 1880, was student. Ow-
ing to ill health Miss Kinsey did not
graduate, but left college for home in
the early part of 1880. When, in 1888,
her fathers family removed to Ar
gonia, she and her husband went
with them. The place was 4 settle
ment OF Quakers, and its first mayor
was Oliver Kinsey, her respected
father. After enduring considerable
hardship, Mrs. Salter and her hus-
band began to prosper in business.
From an early date in her time
OF residence in Argonia, its
present chief magistrate was a
busy woman in public matters.
She and her helpmeet were prominent
in organizing Baptist church, and to
her is largely due the origin OF a
flourishing branch of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union. Her
husband. is a lawyer, and has real
estate business. The couple have
four children, three boys and a girl,
the eldes OF whom is about 6 years
old. ,.t:.' q
Mayor Salter was elected last spring.
Little interest being shown in the
duty by the citizens of Argonia up to
nearly the day fixed for them to
choose their Mayor, only two days be-
fore election meeting of the w. Q
T. U. was called, at which candidate
for Mayor and five councilmen were
named. Early on election day morn
ing an anti-Prohibitionist, thinking it
joke, ordered some tickets to be
printed with the five councilmen
on it as named at the women's meet
ing, but substituting Mrs. Salter's
name for that of their candidate for
Mayor. Her friends having pro-
cured her consent to serve if elected,
set to work and accomplished what
had been proposed as an ill-natured
joke. The anti-Prohibitionist and his
allies, to use homelv saying, were
made to laugh on the other side of
their mouth. Argonia elected fe-
male Mayor, who is the head Of an eff
cient administration, but one hardly
as progressive as she desires it to be.
Her anxiety for local Improvement. is
checked by the parsinony of her
Councilmen. Mrs. Salter's salary is
81 year.
The Mayor OF Argonia is about 5
feet 315 inches in height. She is thin
and Of an active temperament. Her
eyes are gray, and her crimped hair
of blonde shade. The cares Of office
have induced her to engage the serv-
ices of a domestic, but otherwise her
arrangements at home are as they
were before her election to be the
chief person in a population OF about
500. She learned dressmaking while
at college, and makes her own and
her children's clothing. Mrs. Salter
was busy at the washtub when her
consent was gained to serve as Mayor
if elected.-LSpringfeli, ILL.,, Mirror.